The 24-year-old midfielder is set to become Newcastle's latest signing, as they finally close in on a player they have been tracking for over 12 months.

Cabella has never hidden his desire to move to St James' Park and he is now in line to become the latest Frenchman to move to Tyneside.

"Discussions with Newcastle exist, and we are not far from an agreement - the two clubs will announce the deal as soon as possible.

"It is not completed, but I know it is on track and the negotiations continue, but the final sum is not certain - with bonuses etc you can never be certain but we know 99.9 per cent of what we will get.

"You can never predict anything, will it rain in Newcastle in October or will Christmas be in December - we will manage to get some extras in - but with Loulou [president Louis Nicollin] you will never learn how he does his negotiations - so the outcome won't concern me too much."

The Montpellier coach praised his president in the way he had rejected earlier bids from Newcastle.

"He has been skilled to refuse offers, their offers [from Newcastle] were a bit upsetting knowing the price they earned from Cabaye and we know Debuchy is perhaps being transferred for at least 10 million, so to get offered eight for Cabella was a little annoying.

"They are now closer to the amount Loulou wants and I think it will definitely end in the coming days, it is 80 to 90 per cent done, but not 100 per cent."

It is understood Montpellier was at least €10million for Cabella, who has two years left on his current deal.

Newcastle fly to New Zealand next week for a pre-season tour, and it is understood that Cabella could be one of six new faces on board their flight.

Siem De Jong, Ayoze Perez and Jack Colback have already signed, and Cabella will join them, as could Dutch full-back Daryl Janmaat and French striker Emmanuel Riviere.

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t's wrong to be making a joke out of Bender's name at the expense of gay people. It's the kind of childish, uncivilised thing that Football365 would deride and ridicule if it was another media outlet saying. Why is there a need for jokes like this? Does it make your writers feel like men? F365 might suggest that I 'lighten up', but it is genuinely traumatic for people who have been oppressed all their lives to be the butt of jokes, and to be told...

ou can't blame De Gea for wanting to leave, he has enough to do in front of goal as it is as well as taking on the role of Man Utd's version of Derek Acorah in trying to contact and organise a defence that isn't there.